Wu Dong Qian Kun (武动乾坤)
by eXceZz
Summary: Summary comes later. Not my own work. I will only upload it here!
1. Chapter 1

**_I do not own Wu Dong Qian Kun_**

 **All rights belong to Tian Can Tu Dou**

WDQK Chapter 1: Lin Dong

"Wuu."

When Lin Dong gathered every ounce of strength to open his heavy eyelids, a simple, crude yet tidy room appeared before his eyes. This familiar scene caused him to blink distractedly, unable to make sense of why he was here, though soon after, he promptly turned his head in a flash of understanding. Sure enough he saw the two figures of a man and a woman seated at a table in the room.

"Father, mother…"

As Lin Dong gazed at the two figures, he grew spirited and let out a soft cry.

"Dong-er, you've woken?"

Hearing his cries, the woman first turned her head, as she saw Lin Dong finally opening his eyes, she immediately exclaimed in happiness.

Dressed somewhat plainly and about thirty years in age, the outline of her cheek gave a sense of elegance to her face and also a type of sweet-tempered and gentle feeling. This was Lin Dong's mother, Liu Yan.

"Unskilled and yet you pick fights with others, you are literarily asking for trouble."

Seated besides the woman was a man who looked to be about thirty or forty years old. His body was slightly frail yet he had a bit of sternness in his brows, he also seemed to be suffering from serious injuries as his face was pale which in turn masked up a large part of his sternness. This was Lin Dong's father, Lin Xiao.

Turning to face his often-times stern father, Lin Dong ostensibly displayed a sliver of fear, pulling back his neck, though soon after he somewhat defiantly declared: "Who asked them to call my father useless right in front of my face…"

As he spoke, Lin Dong reached to feel the still aching wound on his chest, and clenched his teeth. Today was merely one of the tests for the Lin Family and he had only went down to gauge his progress. Today's setback hardly dented his faith in himself because he had only been training for about half a year and he did not expect to make much progress. He remained confident that given the same time and conditions to train, he would not lose out to anyone.

Nevertheless, right after the test ended, as Lin Dong was preparing to make his way home, he encountered a fellow which he had some bad history with. His original plan was to ignore that chap, however after a few rounds of deliberate provocation, he could no longer stand it and in a moment of fury, the young and hot-blooded Lin Dong attacked the provocator. Nonetheless, the results were clear as day as he was immediately soundly knocked out by a heavy punch…

"Lin Shan, you had better remember this! The next time, I vow to smash your head into a pulp, or my name is not Lin Dong!"

Lin Dong ground his teeth together. The Lin Shan mentioned, was the perpetrator of this incident, and also the number one enemy in Lin Dong's heart. Because their fathers had bad blood between them, Lin Shan constantly tried to inconvenience Lin Dong, and the latest incident was just one of many.

One moment he was resolutely clenching his jaw, yet the next, Lin Dong was hanging his head dejectedly. Though Lin Shan was extremely vile, the fact remained that he was currently already at the 4th layer of Tempered Body. In the Lin family, this kind of achievement was considered better than average. Compared to the 2nd layer that Lin Dong was at, it was indeed much better.

In the path of training, the body should be trained first as everything begins with one's body. After all, the human body is the most wonderfully mysterious thing in the world.

Simply said, Tempered Body was the cultivation of one's body, allowing one's body to gradually strengthen and eventually grow stronger from outside to within. When the muscles and bones within the body have strengthened to a certain level, it will give rise to a seedling of Yuan Power. Only when a seedling of Yuan Power naturally appears in the body, can one then be called a true practitioner.

Tempered Body is divided into 9 layers, the difference between the first 3 layers is not significant as it only improves one's physical body and foundations slightly. Only when the body has been cultivated to the 4th layer, will the advantages of training gradually surface. At that level, the skin will slowly harden to become as tough as wood or rock, and both one's strength and speed will be substantially upgraded.

Since Lin Shan was currently at that level, Lin Dong, who had only mastered the 2nd layer of Tempered Body, was clearly outclassed.

As for why there was such a disparity between the two, although they were both of similar age, it was not due to a difference in their potential. For the Tempered Body levels, talent was not a key factor, in fact it could be said that anyone could train in it. However, how far they were able to progress, would depend on one's wealth and affinity.

Nonetheless, to reach the 9th layer of Tempered body is an extremely difficult and tiring affair. This was because only by constantly pushing the limits of one's physical body, could one's body gradually grow stronger.

Yet this way of testing one's limits was akin to squeezing out the potential in one's body. If one's body was not sufficiently restored after the 'squeezing', one's body would be injured due to the strain. At that time, not only would the training be affected but the whole body would be riddled with injuries. An overall loss.

Thus, as one attempts to master the Tempered Body, they would need various nourishing elixirs to supplement their body before they can progress with their training. However, as these elixirs are mostly expensive commodities, those without adequate wealth would not be able to afford it.

And this is the so called wealth!

The reason why Lin Shan was able to surpass Lin Dong by 2 layers was not because he had trained for half a year more but largely because his father was in charge of the finances in the Lin family. In comparison to Lin Dong who lacked this good fortune and therefore the access to elixirs to nourish his body. Thus his training progress was naturally much slower than the former….

Suddenly, as Lin Xiao heard Lin Dong's mutterings, his palm that was resting on the table clenched tightly, as his expression grew a shade darker. To the side, Liu Yan who had seen this change promptly signalled to Lin Dong with her eyes before the latter hastily shut his mouth.

"No need to whine, concentrate on training and others will naturally shutup."

Lin Xiao waved his hands as he said: "Liu Yan, take that Red Ginseng and pass it to Dong-er, with the Red Ginseng, his training should go slightly faster. There's only half a year left till the family competition, if he doesn't make the most of this time to train, he will only bring shame to us."

"Xiao-ge, that Red Ginseng is for your injuries…" Liu Yan hastily said before she fell into a quiet stupor.

"I am already a useless person, no matter what kind of remedies are used, it would all be for naught. In the future, I will spend more time finding elixirs in the mountain for Dong-er." Lin Xiao declared in a self mocking tone as he shook his head.

"Father is not useless, Father used to be the strongest practitioner in the family excluding grandpa!" Hearing Lin Xiao's words, Lin Dong exclaimed, red-faced. As a child, his father was the biggest figure in his heart.

"Strongest Practitioner…"

Lin Xiao's subsciously clenched his fist tightly as a deep pain flashed across his face. A moment later, he stood up and tiredly walked outside the room.

"Liu Yan, brew the tonic for our child, my injuries are fine, it's already been so many years, what use would one stalk of Red Ginseng possibly be?"

Gazing at his somewhat decrepit back, Liu Yan's eyes reddened, who could have imaged that that the man who was once the most gifted and remarkable man in Qingyang Town would end up in such a slump.

"Mother, don't cry, Dong-er promises that he will work hard in his training. And when the time comes, I will find a way to cure father." Lin Dong softly said as he pulled at the corner of Liu Yan's clothes.

"Dong-er, don't blame your father if he is strict towards you. It is just because he has devoted everything to you, after all, you should know that you are his only hope."

Liu Yan muttered softly as she lowered her head, lightly wiping at her eyes and stroking Lin Dong's tiny head while she gazed at the earnest expression on Lin Dong's young and tender face.

"Mother, I have heard that top three contestants in the upcoming family competition will obtain a type of 3rd grade elixir called Vermillion Blood Clotting Fruit. I once heard an uncle say that it is very effective in treating injuries. If I manage to obtain it, it would definitely aid to heal the wounds in Father's body." As if he had suddenly thought of something, Lin Dong lifted his head as he said while watching Liu Yan with shining eyes.

"Vermillion Blood Clotting Fruit…" Hearing these words, Liu Yan was slightly taken aback. Nonetheless, she helplessly shook her head: "It is not easy to be the top three in the family competition, it is good that you have the heart. Mother will leave first and brew the Red Ginseng for you."

As she finished, Liu Yan turned to walk out of the room. Within the current younger generation in the Lin family, there were already a few that had obtained decent accomplishments, therefore it would not be easy for Lin Dong to enter the top three and obtain the Vermillion Blood Clotting Fruit. Hence, she did not take this matter too seriously.

As he gazed at Liu Yan's leaving back, Lin Dong's lips pursed tightly together, clenching his tiny fists: "Mother, rest assured, I will definitely obtain that Vermillion Blood Clotting Fruit and heal the injuries in father's body!"

As Lin Dong thought of Lin Xiao's injury, a deep hatred suddenly surfaced in his eyes. The reason why father was often ridiculed by many in the family was all because of that one man!

The Lin family that Lin Dong belonged to was only a small family, even in Qingyang Town, they could not be considered the best. Yet this unremarkable looking Lin family had a highly respectable background that would shock many people: they were of the Lin Clan.

One of the four great clans of the Great Yan dynasty, the Lin Clan!

From a certain point of view, the Lin Family of Qingyang Town could count as an extension of the Lin Clan, yet to Lin Dong who had never travelled beyond a hundred miles of Qingyang Town, the overwhelming strength of the Lin Clan in the Great Yan Dynasty was just another unfamiliar and distant thing.

What Lin Dong knew from the occasional scraps of information gleaned from his father, was that the branch they belonged to was actually once part of the inner circle of the Lin Clan. It was only because of one mission. The failure of Lin Dong's grandfather in that mission had lead to a huge loss for the clan, consequently, he was expelled from the inner circle and banished to Qingyang Town.

Here, he established this small Lin Family and over these tens of years, he has tried everything he could in order to fulfill a lifelong dream: to return to the inner circle of the Lin Clan.

Yet all his efforts did not amount to much. All that he had accomplished was not even worth mentioning to the huge and incomparable Lin Clan. Therefore, he could only turn his attention to other places, such as the Ten-Year Clan Gathering of the Lin Clan.

This was the most important gathering of the Lin Clan and also an extremely famous event in the entire Great Yan Dynasty. Held every ten years, each gathering presented the perfect opportunity for the younger generations in the clan to stand in the spotlight and make a name for themselves. Moreover, many of the prizes for this humongous competition were naturally so generous, that they would draw covetous gazes. Yet, the most appealing caveat for Lin Dong's grandfather lay in the fact that as long as one could enter the top ten in this gathering, even if you were an outsider to the clan, you will be promoted into the inner circle with no obstructions and obtain unparalleled honor.

Thus, the clan gathering had become the new dawn in Lin Dong's grandfather's long night of despair. But because of his age, he was already unable to participate, therefore he placed all of his hopes onto his five sons that came from different mothers. Naturally the most outstanding one of them all, Lin Dong's father, became grandfather's and the entire Lin Family's ray of hope.

Even though Lin Dong's father carried this heavy burden on his shoulders, he did not betray their expectations. Among the 5 brothers, he was the earliest to breakthrough the 9th Layer of Tempered Body, and advance into the "Yuan" stage. Furthermore, in another short four years, he once again broke through the "Yuan" stage to become the 2nd Heavenly Yuan master in the Lin Family after grandfather Lin Zhentian.

This spectacular progress caused the normally quiet and stern grandfather to elicit a kind and gratified smile on his aged face every time he met his father. It was said that in all of the ten long years, this was the time that grandfather smiled the most.

However, when the Ten-Year Clan Gathering finally arrived, the outcome shocked all the members of the Lin Family, and left them deep in the abyss of despair.

One move!

In just one move, his father, the shining ray of hope for the Lin Family, was cruelly defeated!

Furthermore, this happened in the first match right at the start of the gathering!

Years of expectations and nurturing crumbled into dust within that brief moment.

The final reward for losers was naturally countless peculiar gazes as well as an endless stream of mocking sneers. Like a pack of stray dogs, they returned to Qingyang Town defeated.

That night, his father left the inner district of the Lin Family and moved to live on a small, desolate hill at the furthest reaches of the Lin Family territory. From then on, he never again touched anything from the Lin Clan. According to him, he had already lost all right to do so.

However, fortune never arrives in pairs; disaster never strikes alone.

After that defeat, what had been bestowed onto Lin Xiao was not merely depression. Afterwards, he was even more grieved to find that the person he had fought with not only defeated him with one palm but also, without a shred of mercy, used an almost beast-like violent Yuan force to ravage the insides of his body till it was a total mess.

With injuries of this degree, Lin Xiao's lost his Heavenly Yuan level of strength and returned to the Earthly Yuan level. In addition, the serious injuries also caused the channels in his body to be disrupted and clogged up, and no matter how he trained, he found further advancement nearly impossible.

Within the family, what was once respectful gazes had gradually turned to sighs and disappointment…

Faced with disaster after disaster, Lin Xiao finally gave up all hope. Everytime he got drunk, he would furiously pound at his own chest. The sound of the dull thuds broke his mother's heart as she quietly stood aside and brushed off her falling tears. Even though Lin Dong was still young when he witnessed this scene, he felt as though his heart was sliced to shreds. At the same time, in his young heart, seeds of hatred were quietly planted towards the man who had humiliated and devastated his father.

He not only destroyed my father but he ruined his family as well!

As for the man in question, later on, Lin Dong by chance heard his uncle and the others mention him with loathing and powerless tones.

At 10, he started training.

At 12 he broke through the 9th Layer of Tempered Body to enter into Yuan territory.

At 14, he advanced to the Earthly Yuan level.

At 17 he advanced to the Heavenly Yuan level.

At 25, the Yuan Qi in his body exchanged Yin and Yang, finally succeeding in forming a Dan. Like a carp that became a dragon, in one fell swoop, he joined the ranks of the rarified few in the Great Yan Dynasty to ever form a Yuan Dan before the age of 30.

The story of his life was practically one legendary feat after another.

His name was Lin Langtian.

In his room, Lin Dong clenched his fist tightly, as thick hatred brewed in his eyes.


	2. Penetrating Fist

WDQK Chapter 2: Penetrating Fist

In the wee hours of the morning, stood a lonely mountain peak surrounded by a thick white fog that caused one's vision to become fuzzy.

"Huff~huff~"

Within a dense forest behind the mountain peak, a sudden and intense gasp sounded out. Upon taking a closer look, in an open space within the woods, a tiny figure could be seen hanging from a thick and sturdy branch using both of his hands. This tiny body borrowed the pulling force from his arms to move up and down repeatedly. As he made these movements, his body formed some strange poses; the kind of poses that utilized all the muscles in the body, exercising all of them together.

Additionally, there were a few pitch-black iron weights hanging on his arms and ankles. Sweat dripped off his clothes and onto the metal weights, causing them to likewise become dripping with wetness.

Naturally, this tiny figure was Lin Dong. Unlike his peers, he did not enjoy the luxury of wealth and riches due to his childhood circumstances, but rather his strict father taught him that the most important things for training were willpower and diligence. These things were his only advantage over the rest of his peers who were blessed with a good amount of wealth.

Sweat dripped into his eyes causing a stinging pain that made Lin Dong clench his jaw in response. He could already feel the pain stemming from extreme overexertion. At this point, most people would definitely choose to take a break and rest. However, he remembered what his father told him: that only during this time, will one be able to break through his limits. Hence…he must endure!

He absolutely must not let go!

For the Family Competition half a year later, he needed to train as if his life was on the line!

The sensation you receive as you approach your limit leaves you feeling dizzy and nauseous. Nonetheless, Lin Dong gritted his teeth and persevered on. Suddenly, he felt a strange heat gushing from within his body, and immediately this feeling refreshed him and lifted his spirits.

It was the power of the Red Ginseng!

Several days ago, the stalk of Red Ginseng was meant to be used to heal Lin Xiao's injuries. However, upon Lin Xiao insistence, it was finally delivered into Lin Dong's body.

It must be said that this kind of elixir truly provides a major boost for a low-leveled Tempered Body practitioner like Lin Dong. Within a mere few days of training, Lin Dong could clearly feel that his body had become at least twice as strong as it used to be.

However, while the Red Ginseng's provided a major boost to Lin Dong's training, the power of the elixir was not unlimited. After all, this Red Ginseng was merely a grade 1 elixir. Therefore, after five days, the effects of the elixir gradually started to dissipate.

However, as the effect of the elixir dissipated, it did not completely disappear. This was because Lin Dong's body was only at the initial stage of the strengthening process, thus it was unable to absorb all of the medicinal effects of the elixir. Hence, some of the medicinal effects remained hidden within the deepest parts of his body. Only when Lin Dong's body was pushed to the extremes, would it finally be squeezed out and devoured by his hungry body.

As the warmth of the medicinal effect slowly seep into his body, Lin Dong felt as though he could hear the countless cells in his body rejoicing together as all his fatigue and pain were gradually replaced with an invigorating energy.

"Hei…"

Lin Dong grabbed onto the tree trunk and violently flung his body, with a somersault, he flipped in the air and steadily landed on the ground. He stretched his back as all the bones in his body suddenly made popping sounds. To Lin Dong's delight, he found that his body had indeed become much tougher.

"Tempered Body 3rd Layer!"

Lin Dong gripped his tiny fists tightly as he enjoyed the power surging through his muscles, his tiny face breaking out into a smile of surprise and delight. Due to his family circumstances, ever since he started training, he had little opportunity to make use of elixirs. Thus, he did not expect that just after a single use, the results actually turned out so good.

"Hmm, not bad…"

As Lin Dong was busy celebrating his advancement, a voice echoed from beside him. He hastily turned his head to see Lin Xiao standing below a big tree, clothed in a plain attire. Furthermore, he could see a shadow of a smile emerging on Lin Xiao's usually stern face.

"Father."

Lin Dong excitedly proclaimed when he saw Lin Xiao who was standing beside the tree.

Lin Xiao nodded his head as he approached Lin Dong. Scanning his son's body, a rare smile finally emerged as he said: "Tempered Body 3rd Layer, not bad."

"It was all thanks to the Red Ginseng", Lin Dong chuckled as he dipped and shook his head.

"The Red Ginseng is merely a grade 1 elixir, even if others consumed it, it will still take them at least one or two months to advance the Tempered Body from the 2nd to the 3rd Layer. This is the result of your hard work and training." Lin Xiao softly sighed as he gazed at Lin Dong who was standing before him. He had naturally noticed how hard Lin Dong was pushing himself during this period of time. Several times, he would see his wife tearing up and even though he did not say anything, as Lin Dong's father, he nonetheless felt some heart-ache.

He understood that the reason why Lin Dong was training so incessantly was because he desired to achieve a good result in the upcoming annual Family Competition that was half a year away. This would restore some of his father's honor and reputation in the Lin Family.

Lin Dong grinned happily as he felt that all his hard work and effort after all this time had finally bore some fruit. He felt that he was catching up to the top students in the Lin Family.

"You can throw away the iron weights now. Since you have already mastered Tempered Body 3rd Layer, you are now just eligible to train in martial arts. Let me impart a set of fist techniques to you." Lin Xiao said.

Upon hearing this news, Lin Dong's jet-black eyes immediately lit up. Even though he had finally reached Tempered Body 3rd Layer, he did not know any techniques at all, and when he fought with others, he could only rely on brute force. Therefore, in his heart, he was very eager to learn these martial arts in order to boost his fighting potential. However, because of the temperament of his father's body, Lin Xiao had yet to teach him any martial arts. Now that his chance has finally arrived, he was naturally ecstatic.

"All the martial arts in the world can be classified into nine levels and three categories. The levels 1,2 and 3 belong to the lower category while the levels 7,8 and 9 belong

to the top category and the rest belong to the middle category. What I am about to teach you is a lower category, level 1 fist technique, termed as the "Penetrating Fist." Lin Xiao explained.

Lin Dong nodded his head, he did not feel upset even though he was only learning a lower category, level 1 fist technique. He understood that you need to take things step by step, and that for most people, it was already a great opportunity to learn a level 1 martial arts skill. It is said that within the Lin Family, the highest martial arts was merely a level 4 martial arts skill and this was obtained by grandpa from the Hidden Scripture Pavilion through chance when he was still a inner circle member of the Lin Clan.

"Even though martial arts have different levels, the most important part lies in the user himself. In the hands of a strong user, even a level 1 martial arts skill can become a powerful and deadly force. Therefore, the stronger one's body is, the more powerful the martial arts' attacks become." Lin Xiao extended his palm and signalled to Lin Dong: "Come, use all your strength and your greatest speed to attack me."

Lin Dong blinked his eyes, as he discarded the iron weights strapped on his wrist, before dashing forward to deliver a punch at Lin Xiao.

As he faced Lin Dong's full-power blow, Lin Xiao merely stretched forth his hand, and deftly slid his palm across Lin Dong's sleeves. A crisp crackling sound then followed before Lin Dong jumped in pain. Gritting his teeth, he hastily rolled up his sleeves only to discover that his entire arm had turned red.

"Penetrating Fist requires one to exert force while sticking closely to one's clothes. If I had exerted more force or even used a trace of Yuan power, your whole arm including your bones will be completely shattered." Lin Xiao casually followed up: " In order to master Penetrating Fist, you need to train with your clothes. Since this martial art emphasizes on exerting force while sticking closely to one's clothes, when you are training in this skill, the clothes that stick to your body will produce a sound as well. There are a total of 9 forms for this skill, also known as the 9 echoes. This is because when you use each form, a crisp sound will echo out. And as each form is used in succession and the 9 echoes eventually all sound out, its power can even be comparable to that of a level 2 martial arts skill."

"You had better watch closely and memorize all nine forms closely!"

With a low shout, Lin Xiao stretched out his limbs and positioned his stance, seeming as fierce as a tiger. And when he exerted his moves, it looked as agile as a monkey. A series of crisp crackling sounds continuously sounded out from his clothes.

Lin Dong gazed attentively as Lin Xiao's fists danced around, his mind concentrated solely on the sight before him. Everything else was ignored, and all that was reflected in his eyes was this set of fist technique!

Because he was teaching Lin Dong, Lin Xiao purposely slowed down and repeated each move a few times. Finally he gently slowed to a halt and turned to face Lin Dong, asking: "Have you memorized it?"

Lin Dong muttered to himself for a while before nodding his head, somewhat unsure.

"Oh? Why don't you show me?"

Astonishment streaked across Lin Xiao's face, although he had slowed his speed by quite a bit, these 9 forms of the Penetrating Fist were not extremely easy to learn. Moreover, this was Lin Dong's first ever contact with martial arts, could he have actually managed to memorise it so quickly?

As if he could sense Lin Xiao's astonishment, Lin Dong took two steps forward, and extended both both fists outwards before he performed a set of forms, though in a shoddy and slow manner.

A smither of delight emerged on Lin Xiao's face as he stood to one side and witnessed his son go through all 9 forms of the Penetrating Fist. Even though his performance was very amateurish and carried little substance, his accomplishment was still impressive especially considering that this was his first ever exposure to the Penetrating Fist. Moreover, this also demonstrated that he was a gifted and talented learner. Upon discovery of this fact, Lin Xiao felt overjoyed as he realized his son had inherited the kind of potential that he had at that age.

"Father, why is it that when I use the Penetrating Fist, there isn't even a single sound?" Lin Dong helplessly asked as he completed another set of forms in shoddy and slow manner.

"You little brat, if it were so easy to produce a sound, then this set of moves would not live up to its name." Lin Xiao chided before continuing: "Remember that as you train, carefully feel your power flowing. As long as you can make your clothes follow your power and not the other way around, then you would be considered to have successfully learnt this set of moves. Come, try a few more times."

Lin Dong's mouth chanted these words a few times before he tried to turn theory into action as he drilled. Meanwhile, Lin Xiao stood beside him, while occasionally pointing out some mistakes or slipups.

On the vacant land in the woods, a figure of a boy continuously danced about. Even as sweat sprayed his body, it did not distract him even the slightest bit, as his tiny face remained especially serious.

The afternoon quickly passed as Lin Dong continuously practiced without rest, and his efforts was not for naught. Lin Dong gradually became more proficient at the 9 forms of the Penetrating Fist and although he was still unable to produce any sounds, his attitude did not waver at all.

"Let today's training end here, you can resume your practice tomorrow." Lin Xiao suddenly said as he glanced to the sky before turning back to look at Lin Dong who was perspiring profusely. The amount of dedication and persistence the latter had displayed in his training had caused even him to be somewhat moved. Soon after, he secretly sighed as he moaned the fact that his many years of dispiritedness had forced his child to mature a lot faster than normal.

"En, Father please go back to rest first, let me stay just a little longer before returning home." Lin Dong replied, his fists did not stop as he concentrated on following Lin Xiao's instructions to feel the tiny movements and changes in the power flowing through his muscles.

In response, Lin Xiao could only helplessly shake his head. Lin Dong's improvement was very distinct, but to cause a sound with the Penetrating Fist was not easy, Lin Xiao had previously trained for a whole week before he finally succeeded.

Quickly informing Lin Dong that he was leaving, Lin Xiao turned around with his hands at his back. As he turned, a smiling expression surfaced on his face, the perceptive ability that Lin Dong displayed today caused him to be extremely satisfied.

"This child is unusually perceptive and possesses an unrelenting willpower that even surpasses me at my prime, this shouldn't be too difficult for him…"

"Pa!"

As this thought flashed across Lin Xiao's mind, a loud, clear and crisp 'Pa' sound abruptly sounded out from behind. Immediately, his face went rigid as he staggered forward. Yet, at this moment, a bright light sparkled in his eyes.

"It appears that it was not too difficult but a rather easy matter for him to accomplish …"


	3. The Mysterious Rock Pool

**WDQK Chapter 3: The Mysterious Rock Pool**

"A sound!"

In the open space, Lin Dong stared blankly at his fist as an euphoric look emerged on his small face. Yet when he lifted his head, he saw that Lin Xiao's figure was already slowly walking out of the forest.

"Heh heh, tomorrow I will show father, I am sure that he will be pleasantly surprised." Lin Dong grinned. Suddenly waves of pain emitted from his arm, he hastily lifted his sleeve only to find that his entire arm was covered in blood red marks, so much so that there were even places where the skin had peeled back as blood continuously oozed out.

"Hss…"

Previously, he was so wrapped up in practice that he did not realise, but now that he had stopped, the pain suddenly rushed forth, causing Lin Dong to grimace in pain. He knew that this pain had been caused by the practice of the Penetrating Fist: injuries due to the friction accumulated from long periods of rubbing his skin against his clothes.

"There's still some time, I guess I'll go to that place first to soak for a while…."

Lin Dong lifted his head to glance at the color of the sky before abruptly running off to the back of the mountain. Approximately 10 minutes later, a steep cliff appeared before his eyes. He scanned his surroundings cautiously, before following a path of jutting rocks down the cliff. These rocks were not easy to find, yet they formed nicely into a secret path.

Lin Dong was quite familiar with this path, thus as he carefully descended, there were no accidents. After a while, a cave that was hidden from sight by a few huge rocks appeared before him.

The cave's location was very well concealed and it was also very well hidden behind the few huge rocks around it. If one was not specifically searching for it, it would be nearly impossible to find. Moreover, in a normal situation, no one would bother doing this kind of thing.

Leaping into the cave, a cool and refreshing feeling blew away the stench and sweat on Lin Dong's body. Compared to the blistering hot weather outside, the cave was like a different world, and also a great place to take shelter from the heat.

The inside of the cave was not extremely spacious. Other than a 6-10 metre wide rock pool at the centre of the cave, there was nothing else special in this cave.

Walking towards to the rock pool, one would see that it was filled with crystal clear water, and atop the water a slightly cold breeze floated back and forth.

"Splash!"

Arriving beside the rock pool, Lin Dong quickly took off his clothes, and straightaway jumped into the water. The slightly cold air caused his body to shiver for a little but he quickly adapted to the cold.

Lin Dong had found this cave by chance during his younger years. Only Qing Tan and him knew about this place. The water here was much colder than other places and at the height of summer, Lin Dong loved to come here and immerse himself in the pool. However, besides being cool and refreshing, there seemed to be no other effect.

Of course, this was not exactly accurate as every time after Lin Dong soaked in the water here, he would unknowingly feel his mind become particularly sharp and no matter what he did, he would be able to quickly enter into a concentrated state.

There did not seem to be any merit to this kind of feeling before, but now that Lin Dong had learnt the Penetrating Fist, he realised that being in a concentrated state had quite a substantial effect on his training progress. Or else, he would probably find it hard to pick up Penetrating Fist in such a short period of time, not to mention practicing it until he managed to produce a sound.

"Is it just me?"

As he laid in the rock pool, Lin Dong cupped some water in his hands and watched it slowly flow off. His small face creased, if this thing was so miraculous, he would have achieved the level of Yuan Power long ago, unlike his current slow pace.

"Once I've trained till the Tempered Body 6th Layer, I would be able to refine essence into Yuan and with Yuan Power, I would finally become a true practitioner!" Lin Dong excitedly proclaimed as he slapped the sides of his face, looking forward to that day. Nonetheless, within the younger generation of the Lin Family, there were only a handful who had reached that level.

Yuan Power was the most important thing in training. It is said that a strong practitioner would be able to cause landslides with just a sweep of his hands. This earth shattering might was difficult for Lin Dong to imagine, as he was still a tiny brat at the first stage.

And the source of this kind of might was Yuan Power. A type of miraculous force that floated between Heaven and Earth. Yet to absorb the Yuan Power from Heaven and Earth, one is required to train until a Yuan Power Seed is produced. Only then, could even more Yuan Power be absorbed into one's body.

Lin Dong leaned against the edge of the rock pool, as he relaxed, his head facing upwards with his eyes shut. His thoughts ran wild for a while before unexpectedly ,he gradually fell into a deep sleep. This period of training was too extreme for him and now that he had finally found some time to relax, his pent up exhaustion started to spread out from his bones.

As Lin Dong soundly slept, the cave once again became peaceful as the pool water gently heaved about.

"Plop…"

Amidst the silence, a disturbance suddenly started in the clear water. A dark red drop of blood rolled down from Lin Dong's injured arm and quietly fell into the pool.

As this drop of blood fell, the originally peaceful water abruptly started boiling. One by one, bubbles with faint traces of blood-like color emerged to rise up from the surface of the water before bursting around Lin Dong's resting body. Traces of faintly red colored liquid scattered in the air and as if they had a mind of their own, moved to twine around Lin Dong's body before finally quickly entering through his pores.

Just as these faintly red colored liquid seeped into Lin Dong's body, it gave rise to a sensation as if the muscles all over his body were violently compressed. Like a tide, a torrent of sweat gushed forth, converging together and then streaming into the water.

Just as the sweat riddled with black impurities seeped out from his body, Lin Dong, whose body had previously grown by a centimeter after he broke through Tempered Body 3rd Layer, felt that his body had shrunk back to its previous size. This sensation was akin to ferociously squeezing out all of the water from a wet sponge.

After approximately 10 minutes, the water in the pool stopped boiling. Just as the pool water began to calm down, Lin Dong suddenly awoke and shouted : "Hot!".

"Splash!"

As he shrieked, Lin Dong swiftly ducked his head and immersed his whole body in the pool. After a while, he finally broke the surface to catch his breath. A look of bewilderment was plastered on his face as shortly before he awoke, he felt as though he was being baked in a furnace, and the burning sensation he experienced was what caused him to involuntarily scream out.

"Why would it be so hot in here?" Lin Dong pondered as he stood in the pool for a while in order to cool himself off, before he finally decided to climb out.

Standing besides the rock pool while thinking for a while, Lin Dong wordlessly shook his head. Just as he grabbed up his clothes and started to put them on, his gaze suddenly paused at his arm.

"Huh?"

Lin Dong stared at his arm in wide disbelief. He clearly remembered that this arm was previously scarred with bloody wounds after his training, yet now all of his wounds seemed to have miraculously disappeared?

Perplexed, Lin Dong gently stroke his once wound ridden arm, suddenly, his body stiffened. An incredulous look swiftly surfaced on his face as he discovered that the skin on his arm had substantially hardened.

This kind of situation was a sign that he was rapidly approaching the Tempered Body 4th Layer.

"How…is this possible?!"

This discovery left Lin Dong dumbstruck as he stood in a daze on the spot.

(TLN: 丈 – Zhang is a chinese 'feet' that is equivalent to about 3.3meters, the chinese RAWs state it was about 2 to 3 丈)


	4. The Secret Of The Rock Pool

WDQK Chapter 4: The Secret Of The Rock Pool

"Illusion… An illusion… It must be an illusion!"

Foolishly gazing at his arm for a moment, Lin Dong shut his eyes and firmly inhaled in a few breaths of air. Only when his mind gradually calmed down did he once again gently stroke his arm, though still slightly trembling.

Under his touch, the outer layer of skin felt reasonably hard. Although it had yet to reach the level of hardness of rocks or wood, Lin Dong's skin was clearly several times harder than before!

This was indeed a sign that he was just about to advance into the Tempered Body 4th Layer. He just needed to wait for this kind of skin to harden a little more and then it would truly be at the Tempered Body 4th Layer.

Yet…Lin Dong's mouth fell open, the disbelief on his face was like he had seen a ghost. He had only just advanced to the Tempered Body 3rd Layer today and it had not even been half a day since then. How could he suddenly be on the verge of advancing to the Tempered Body 4th Layer?

This miracle straightaway caused Lin Dong to be somewhat giddy. Flushed red with excitement, he continuously walked to and fro at the side of the rock pool. If he were able to continue at this kind of pace, would the top 3 in the Family Competition even be worth mentioning? Even if it were the Ten-Year Clan Gathering of the Lin Clan, he would not have the slightest worry.

"How…did this happen?"

Although he was still giddy from happiness and excitement, Lin Dong had matured at an earlier age than most, therefore he managed to regain his calm and wits after a while. His tiny face tightly wrinkled up as he started to recall all the details of this affair. Yet there was nothing strange about the cave, thus, after taking a slow look around the cave, his gaze eventually came to rest upon the rock pool.

"Could there really be something strange about this rock pool?"

A stunned look flitted across his face, but soon after he quickly shook his head. Since young, he had soaked in this rock pool countless times, yet it was the first time something like today had ever happened!

What had actually happened?

It could not possibly be because of the Red Ginseng as it was merely a grade 1 elixir. The fact that it allowed him to reach the Tempered Body 3rd Layer in 10 days was already a sky-shattering achievement.

"There was definitely something different today."

Lin Dong tightly pursed his lips together, a stubborn determination on his small face. He understood that it would be of utmost importance to him to discover the mystery within.

"I was more tired than usual today…yet this was not the first time…that I have slept in here? I've slept in here before…"

Lin Dong squatted beside the rock pool, his brows tightly knitted together in thought., His palm subconsciously moved to stroke his arm, and he froze. His gaze slowly moved to fix on his arm; where many traces of blood used to be…

"Blood?"

Lin Dong's eyes brightened. He suddenly pulled out a small dagger hidden in a slit within a pile of rocks near the rock pool that he had previously left behind.

Lin Dong gently sliced his finger tip with the dagger, causing a drop of blood to emerge He hesitated for a second before he carefully dripped it into the rock pool.

"Plop!"

The sound of blood dripping into the pool resonated clearly within the quietness of the cave. However, Lin Dong kept his eyes keenly peeled onto the location where the drop of blood had fallen.

Just as the drop of blood touched the rock pool, a wave of ripples emerged as the reddish hue of the blood gradually dissipated. Water bubbles swiftly emerged from the serene rock pool, startling Lin Dong. A reddish liquid was faintly discernable within each bubble.

Lin Dong's throat clenched as he hesitantly extended his hand into the rock pool. Instantly, the water bubbles exploded and a gooey light-red liquid stuck onto his palm. The liquid then slowly seeped in through his pores.

As the light-red liquid seeped into his body, Lin Dong's palm suddenly experienced a burning sensation. This sensation was exactly the same as how he felt when he was abruptly awoken. Moreover, this time he could clearly feel that as the liquid seeped into his palm, the skin on his palm was gradually becoming tougher.

"This is indeed the case!"

As he noted the changes to his palm, Lin Dong's tiny face instantly lit up. His had guessed correctly! The water in this rock pool required blood to activate their special properties.

Lin Dong gripped then extended his palm a few times, only to discover that the skin on this palm had indeed become much tougher than the rest of his body. Furthermore, this effect was achieved after only a short exposure. According to Lin Dong's calculations, he estimated that the effect of this water was truly legendary and even exceeded the effects of those costly level 3 elixirs sold in Qingyang Town.

"Hmm, how is it that this water can bring such a remarkable effect that even surpasses that of a level 3 elixir?"

Over the years, Lin Dong had found out that the water from the rock pool was merely normal spring water. Even though the water was refreshing, Lin Dong was fairly certain that this spring water did not possess any special effects. However, now that he had encountered this situation, he could not find an explanation .

Lin Dong sighed deeply as he rubbed his forehead. This mysterious rock pool had overly excited his emotions and he decided to lie down beside the rock pool to take a breather. Regardless, even though he was unable to uncover the reason why this rock pool held mysterious powers, this discovery was still bound to be highly beneficial to him.

Due to his injuries, Lin Xiao requires several elixirs in order to nurse his health. However, these elixirs are expensive and owing to Lin Xiao's stubborn nature, he refused to accept any financial support from the Lin Family. As such, he would often try his luck and go hunt for elixirs by himself. Inevitably, this resulted in Lin Dong being unable to enjoy the same privileged training conditions as his peers in the Lin Family.

Hence, at this juncture, the effects of the rock pool was especially important to Lin Dong.

"The effects of this rock pool must absolutely be kept a secret!"

Lin Dong gripped his tiny fist. He understood that he not only required the aid of this rock pool, but that if news of this rock pool spread out, it will surely lead to a huge commotion. At that time, perhaps several other factions in the Qingyang Town may get involved and this may spell a small calamity onto the whole Lin Family.

"Possessing treasure is no sin, but it will often lead to trouble!"

Even though Lin Dong was still young, he clearly understood this principle.

As Lin Dong tightly pursed his lips, he formulated a plan in his heart. Just as he was about to leave, something suddenly caught his eye and he softly gasped. He immediately turned his vision onto the ceiling of the cave as he caught a glimpse of light flickering over there.

Under normal circumstances, if Lin Dong encountered this situation, he would not give it even the slightest notice. However, now that he knew the effects of the rock pool, he became extremely attentive to the whole area surrounding the cave.

Lin Dong kept his eyes firmly locked onto the location where he spotted the flickering lights. Under his watchful gaze, the flickering light appeared again. However, it looked as though the light was flickering slightly more hastily. Soon after, a ray of light fell down into the rock pool.

Due to the ray of light, a gentle ripple emerged on the surface of the rock pool.

Lin Dong stared at the location where the ray of light had fell into the rock pool. As he swallowed, he remembered catching a glimpse of what seemed to be a dark-red liquid within the light. That liquid… it was exactly what Lin Dong saw after his blood fell into the rock pool.

"It seems that the secret is hidden above…"

Lin Dong softly murmured as his eyes brightened and he lifted his head to gaze above at the ceiling of the cave.


	5. The Mysterious Stone Talisman

WDQK Chapter 5: The Mysterious Stone Talisman

"What is this?"

Lin Dong stared blankly at the object in his hand; it looked like a faintly ash-colored stone piece and was about as big as two fingers put together. Though it looked like a stone, as he rolled it over in his palm, it felt strangely soft. This kind of softness did not feel like that of a stone, yet it was also not like jade and even more not like wood.

Like stone yet not stone, like jade yet not jade, like wood yet not wood.

After Lin Dong had painstakingly climbed to the roof of the cave and searched about, he finally managed to find this stone piece in a hidden crevice. From the location it was found, It seemed like the liquid that had dripped into the rock pool had originated from this object.

Embedded within an extremely clear palm impression in such a dark place atop the mountain. If one were to take a closer look at the impression, he would find that it was so well imprinted that even the lines on the palm could be clearly seen. As he looked at the mysterious palm impression, Lin Dong suddenly realized that perhaps, someone had already arrived at this mountain cave long before he ever did.

"What a mysterious object."

As Lin Dong muttered, he noticed that on this thumb-sized stone piece, some cryptic patterns which looked like some sort of mystical characters were faintly discernable.

These mystical characters covered every inch of the stone piece, causing it to resemble a mysterious stone talisman.

At this juncture, besides the cryptic and profound looking mystical characters on the stone talisman, there were no other unusual aspects. Yet Lin Dong understood that the shining drop of red liquid he had just seen was definitely not an illusion.

"The reason why the rock pool possessed that kind of special property must have something to do with this stone talisman…"

Lin Dong sunk deep into thought. Previously, he had personally seen a drop of light fall into the rock pool, and only this was the only evidence that could explain why the rock pool would possess such a miraculous property.

"Pah!"

As Lin Dong reasoned to himself, the noise of rubble rolling sounded out from outside the cave. Immediately, he stuffed the stone talisman into his inner garments, placing it at the spot near his chest.

"Lin Dong-ge, hee hee, I knew that you would be here."

Just as Lin Dong managed to hide the stone talisman, like a butterfly, a figure fluttered and appeared at the entrance of the cave. The figure was revealed to be a young girl who looked to be about 13 or 14 years old, wearing simple light colored clothes. Yet these simple clothes were unable to conceal the quick wittedness on her small face. Though the girl was rather young, her small face was rather elaborate, her huge eyes glittered, making her look extremely adorable.

Gazing at the young girl, Lin Dong secretly sighed in relief. The girl was not a member of the Lin Family, rather she was adopted by Liu Yan not long after he was born. She was younger by Lin Dong by just a bit, so the two of them had grown up together and their relationship was akin to that of brother and sister, extremely intimate. As she was an orphan, she did not take on the Lin family name. Thus Liu Yan helped choose a good name for her: Qing Tan. And like her namesake, she was full of liveliness like sandalwood.

"Lin Dong-ge, the sky is almost dark, Mother has been calling you for quite a while."

Qing Tan laughed merrily as she approached, her small hands naturally pulling at Lin Dong's arm as she dragged him out of the cave. As she walked, she mumbled: "If the sky had gotten dark, you won't be able to see the rock path here, don't tell me that you planned on sleeping in the cave like before?"

Gazing beside him at Qing Tan, whose voice chirped melodiously like a lark, Lin Dong could not help laugh. Soon after, his arm moved to lightly touch his chest area. At the centre of his chest was the talisman, which was emitting a cooling sensation.

Although he did not know where this stone talisman came from, Lin Dong's intuition told him that it was definitely no ordinary thing.

As the dim light of the night shrouded the land, the cool and refreshing moonlight flowed down, washing away any remnants of heat from the day.

In the room, Lin Dong was fast asleep. Strands of moonlight sprayed from the window, some of which shined on Lin Dong's body. Suddenly, the moonlight started to ripple like water, soon after a bizarre scene occurred. The moonlight unexpectedly started to gather at Lin Dong's chest area, as if in response, the simple stone talisman emitted out a bit of light, causing it to be faintly discernable at the center of the light.

As the stone talisman shined, the originally sleeping Lin Dong slightly cracked opened his eyes. However, before he could fully open his eyes, a suddenly dizziness gushed forth from depths of his mind. Following which, he alarmingly found himself in a dark dark space.

There was no light here, only silence and cold.

This sudden change caused fear to rise up in Lin Dong's heart. No matter what, he was still a 14 year old kid.

"Snicker!"

As Lin Dong choked in fear, a sudden voice broke the silence of the pitch-black space. Soon after, a glowing figure suddenly appeared before him. Carefully examining the figure, he realized that to his surprise, the figure looked exactly like him. However, its face did not have any signs of life, rather it was expressionless like a doll.

"What is going on…"

Lin Dong blankly gazed at the glowing figure in front of him, his brain somewhat paralyzed with fear by this weird sight.

"Pa!"

While Lin Dong was still in a daze, the glowing figure of "Lin Dong" suddenly moved. The figure's had adjusted its body and extended both its fists, displaying a familiar fist technique with those hands.

"Is this…. Penetrating Punch?"

As he gazed at the fist technique displayed by the glowing figure, Lin Dong's eyes opened wide in bewilderment. Soon after, a startled expression surfaced on his face as he realized that the Penetrating Punch displayed was even more elegant and refined than Lin Xiao's!

Pa Pa Pa Pa Pa Pa Pa Pa Pa!

In the darkness, the glowing figure maneuvered swiftly as it moved its fists. Its moves were smooth and agile like a monkey, and seemed much sharper than when Lin Xiao performed it.

9 crisp echos!

Lin Dong stared in awe at the glowing figure that resembled him almost perfectly. As the figure executed Penetrating Punch, he could clearly hear 9 resounding echoes!

"9 echoes…"

Just as Lin Dong mumbled to himself, suddenly he felt a jolt of shock. Just as the glowing figure finished performing the set of fist technique, it's body jerked strangely. Immediately, a soft echo resounded from its arm!

"What…"

The sound generated was extremely soft. Only because Lin Dong was in a state of high alert within this quiet space was he able to hear that last sound.

10 echoes!

Lin Dong looked at the glowing figure in astonishment. He clearly knew that there were only supposed to be 9 echoes generated from the Penetrating Punch, yet this glowing figure was able to generate a 10th echo?!

At this point, Lin Dong was fairly certain that even if his father personally performed the Penetrating Punch, he would not be able to generate this last echo.

"What is going on?"

Lin Dong was shocked at this sight. Moments later, he finally regained his composure and started to contemplate the situation. Even though he had only witnessed it once, Lin Dong could sense that the Penetrating Punch displayed by the glowing figure was even more natural and sharp than his father's, or perhaps, perfect.

As to why this glowing figure was able to display such unique ability, Lin Dong was clueless. Nonetheless, he understood that this time, he had found a treasure…

As this thought crossed Lin Dong's mind, the glowing figure had yet to disappear. Instead, it once again displayed the same set of Penetrating Punch moves restarting from the beginning.

As Lin Dong stared at the agile glowing figure, he realized that the fear that plagued him at the start had unknowingly dissipated. Feeling a little lost, he decided to gather up his spirits and concentrate onto the glowing figure. With a particularly serious expression, he watched every move again and again, memorizing even the most minute details in each move.

After observing for some time, Lin Dong finally shifted into a stance. Opening up his feet, he begun to mimic the glowing figure and slowly executed the Penetrating Punch.

"Pa!"

In the darkness stood two similar figures, one human shadow and one glowing shadow, tireless repeating the same set of fist techniques. A series of crisp crackling sounds continuously echoed, though a majority of them were generated by the glowing shadow.

Nonetheless, Lin Dong did not feel discouraged. An earnest expression remained on his tiny face, as he unconsciously adjusted his moves to resemble the glowing figure.

Even though these adjustments were merely minor changes, it was akin to adding the finishing touches to a masterpiece as each tiny adjustment brought about significant effect.

"Pa! Pa! Pa! Pa!"

As he wielded his fists, Lin Dong's movements were nimble and agile like a monkey. Suddenly, four crisps echos sounded continuously as enough force was finally generated by his fists!

4 echoes!

Both of Lin Dong's eyes instantly brightened! He did not expect that a few minor adjustments would cause Penetrating Punch to flow so much more smoothly.

This sensation was akin to having guidance from a legendary master. Moreover, the level of mastery attained by this mentor was a truly terrifying one.

Lin Dong was ecstatic. He had achieved such remarkable progress in just one day that even his father's jaw would drop after witnessing him produce 4 consecutive echoes. In fact, his father took nearly a month of training before he could reach this stage, yet Lin Dong managed to exceed this by more than 10 times!

After making such progress, Lin Dong's spirits were lifted. Without taking a break, he once again shifted in fight stance and repeated the Penetrating Punch moves one by one. He was determined to perfect these moves until they were exactly the same as the glowing figure's…

As if time had stopped flowing, Lin Dong continuously imitated the glowing figure within the pitch-black space. And as his sweat dripped off his body, his fist technique came to match the glowing figure's more and more.

In the pitch-black space, a glowing shadow and a human shadow moved in unison, like a pair of lively monkeys. As their fists punched out, the sound of fists breaking through the air echoed out.


	6. Seventh Echo

WDQK Chapter 6: Seventh Echo

"Groan…"

In the middle of his room, Lin Dong could already feel the sun's rays shining down on his face as he struggled to open his eyes. As he glanced at the sunlight, he suddenly leaped forth from his bed. Though as his feet made contact with the floor, an extremely aching pain suddenly filled his body almost causing him to lose his footing.

"This..…."

The sudden aching sensation shocked Lin Dong. It was as if he had spent an entire night on intensive training.

"It was not a dream?!"

Suddenly, Lin Dong seemed to have recalled something as a look of awe surfaced on his face. Immediately, he gritted his teeth and positioned himself into a stance to begin practising Penetrating Fist. Looking at the proficient way he maneuvered his fists, it was as though he had already practiced these moves countless times. Only he knew that he had only just learnt this set of moves from Lin Xiao the day before.

Still in the room, the young man executed a familiar set of fist techniques with a serious expression on his face as a series of crisp echoes sounded out due to the friction between his arms and clothes.

"Pa Pa Pa Pa Pa!"

When he finally managed to produce five crisp echoes, Lin Dong's body stopped. On his face, a mixed expression of shock, happiness and a slight tinge of fear was plastered.

"How could I have mastered it so quickly…"

Lin Dong muttered to himself as he gazed at his palms. He could feel that five echoes was definitely not his limit. In fact, if he wished to, he could easily produce seven echoes now!

This training progress bewildered Lin Dong. Among the younger generation in the Lin Family, there were several others who practised Penetrating Fist as well. Nonetheless, he was one of the rare few that could produce seven echoes at such a tender age.

"How did this happen?"

Lin Dong frowned, the eyebrows on his face knitting together. Moments later, his hand moved to his chest area and retrieved the mysterious stone talisman hidden in an inner pocket. This was the object that he retrieved from the cave yesterday.

If there were any items worthy of suspicion on Lin Dong's body, then this stone talisman will definitely be at the top of the list.

"This object, is it really this powerful?"

As Lin Dong held the stone talisman, he felt a cooling sensation spreading out from his palm. Thanks to this sensation, the aching pain in his body was slightly soothed.

Swallowing the churning emotions in his heart, Lin Dong carefully hid the stone talisman back into the inner pocket. His intuition told him that this stone talisman possessed extraordinary powers and he knew that if news of this discovery got out, it would definitely invite a catastrophe. Therefore, it would be much better if no one else knew about it.

After he kept the stone talisman, Lin Dong opened the door and left his room. First, he proceeded to eat some breakfast prepared by Liu Yan before he slipped off back to the rock cave. Currently, his body was aching with pain, he knew that if he continued to his intensive practice now, it would definitely injure his body. Thankfully, he had discovered the miraculous properties of the rock pool, thus this was not an issue for Lin Dong.

Dripping fresh blood into the rock pool, Lin Dong enjoyed a half hour soak before he finally got out. The ache in his body had disappeared without a trace and his body had returned to its peak condition.

He felt the skin on his body, revelling at the fact that it had toughened substantially once again. This brought a smile to Lin Dong's tiny face as he knew that at this speed, he could officially advance to Tempered Body 4th Layer within the next ten days.

Climbing out of the rock pool, Lin Dong decided to execute the entire set of Penetrating Fist moves again. This time, he used all his power, holding nothing back.

"Pa Pa Pa Pa Pa Pa Pa!"

Seven echoes!

As his fist fell to indicate the end of this session, Lin Dong's tiny face flushed red with excitement. Armed with this seven echoes Penetrating Fist, he was confident that if he met Lin Shan again, it would definitely not be a repeat of their last would not be so easily beaten without a chance to retaliate again.

Lin Dong's excitement finally faded as he once again regained his calm. Chuckling at himself, he climbed out of the cave and started his daily intensive training. Even though he now had the aid of this miraculous rock pool, Lin Dong still understood a fundamental principal.

In the journey of mastery, the self is the most important. Outside aid can certainly make smooth the path to mastery, however, how far one ventures along this path is still ultimately in their own hands.

Hence, even though he had the aid of the rock pool, Lin Dong understood that he must continue to strive and work hard. After all, that was still his greatest asset!

A day of training passed. Some time in the evening, a stern-looking Lin Xiao came around to inspect the Lin Dong's progress. With regards to Lin Dong's training, he was often extremely harsh and strict.

However, after witnessing Lin Dong produce three consecutive echoes from Penetrating Fists, even though he tried to maintain a strict expression, a slight trace of surprise and satisfaction leaked out onto his face.

Seeing the expression on his father's face, Lin Dong's secretly heaved a sigh of relief. In his mind, he chuckled to himself as he imaged what Lin Xiao's expression will be if he knew that Lin Dong could already produce seven consecutive echoes?

In the midst of the summer heat, every single member from the younger generation of Lin Family were earnestly training. They understood that the Family Competition that was coming up in six months was extremely important for them.

As the Lin Family was not an extremely powerful or reputable family, they were unable to provide every member with the best kind of treatment. Therefore, if one wants to obtain the best martial arts training and elixirs from the Lin Family, one must prove himself to be exceptional.

Therefore this Family Competition was a chance for them to showcase their talent and stand above the crowd. For most of them, this was also their first ever competition, yet on some levels, the results of this competition determined their fates for the rest of their lives.

A man that was heavily groomed by the family will definitely progress much faster in his training as compared to training by himself. Of course, there were some special exceptions…

As everyone was intensively preparing for the upcoming Family Competition, Lin Dong did not encounter much trouble during this period. And for the next ten nights after he fell asleep, he would find a perfect "teacher" waiting for him in the dark space.

It was increasingly difficult to produce the next echo from Penetrating Fist. Especially after the seventh echo, the difficulty soared exponentially. Therefore, even after ten days of intensive training, Lin Dong was barely able to produce the ninth echo. Moreover, he was still clueless on how to produce the final tenth echo.

Nonetheless, he was not discouraged. He clearly knew that being able to produce nine echoes after just ten days of training, was already a terrifying feat.

He knew this fact from Lin Xiao's expression when he assessed his son's training progress. After Lin Dong showed his father six echoes, Lin Xiao's started to look at his son with a strange gaze. When he first started training Penetrating Fist, it took him two whole months before he was able to reach this stage. Yet, Lin Dong took only ten days to match that feat. Hence, upon witnessing his remarkable progress, Lin Xiao was at a loss for words.

Moreover even as Lin Dong was drilling in Penetrating Fist, he also continued to train his Tempered Body. Thanks to the miraculous effects of the rock pool, he was able to stealthily multiply the intensity of the training regime given by Lin Xiao. Every time Lin Dong dragged his aching body into the rock pool, he would wake up refreshed and re-energized after just half an hour of soaking, ready for another round of training.

Even though his training was painful and exhausting, its effects were extremely clear. After a few days, the skin of his body had toughened to such an extent, whereby at times, he could even directly punch at rocks without injuring himself. Furthermore, when he utilized Penetrating Punch, he found that the force produced had grown by more than one and a half times!

Based on this speed, it will only be a short while before he finally reaches Tempered Body 4th Layer…..


	7. Tempered Body 4th Layer

WDQK Chapter 7: Tempered Body 4th Layer

In the cooling cave, Lin Dong relaxed in the rock pool, enjoying the mystically refreshing sensation of the liquid soaking into his body. A look of enjoyment on his tiny face.

Within the rock pool, traces of a light-red liquid gathered on Lin Dong's body as it gradually seeped through his pores, nourishing his aching muscles and strengthening his bones. Likewise, Lin Dong's body hungrily devoured the liquid, as if it were a starving ghost.

"Buzz!"

As Lin Dong lay with his eyes shut, he suddenly felt the pool water surge and an itching pain started to swarm across the underside of his skin.

This sudden itching pain caused Lin Dong to panic in response. Hastily opening his eyes, he saw that his body was shedding small bits of skin. At this sight, the panic on his face turned to joy.

Skin shedding! This was exactly what happens when one advanced to Tempered Body 4th Layer!

"I have finally reached this step…"

Lin Dong licked his lips, his heart filled with excitement. Tempered Body consisted of nine layers, the first three layers were simple physical improvements. It was only after advancing to Tempered Body 4th Layer, could one finally gain the real benefits from training. After shedding one's skin, the new skin will become hard like rock or wood. Moreover, one's strength and resilience will be greatly enhanced, thus the Tempered Body 4th Layer is much stronger when compared to Tempered Body 3rd Layer.

Under Lin Dong's watchful gaze, the skin on his body rapidly peeled off. After all the skin had been shed, he dipped his entire body into the rock pool before jumping slowly felt the new skin with his palm, finding it akin to touching smooth wood or rock, except it was a more special kind of toughness.

"Pa! Pa! Pa!…"

Suppressing his excitement, Lin Dong immediately begun to execute Penetrating Fist. The wind flowed with his moves, causing the dust on the ground to rise up. His aura was evidently incomparable to before.

With a grin on his face, Lin Dong put down his fists. He cast a glance to the rock pool and chuckled: "Thanks!"

As he laughed, Lin Dong suddenly recalled something. He frowned as he stared at the rock pool. Over the ten days of absorbing, he felt that the amount of light-red liquid inside the pool seemed to be gradually decreasing.

"Looks like the amount of light-red liquid in the pool will eventually run out…" Lin Dong scratched his head, not the least bit frantic at this fact. He took out a tiny and transparent bottle hidden within a pocket in his clothes. Upon a closer inspection of the bottle, two drops of red liquid were revealed to be contained within.

After carrying the stone talisman on his body for a period of time, Lin Dong managed to uncover a little secret. He realized that every five days, a little crevice on the stone talisman would be filled with a drop of red liquid. This drop of red liquid was not unfamiliar to Lin Dong, as it was the exact same liquid that he saw in the rock pool when it came into contact with his blood. However, compared to the light-red liquid in the rock pool, this drop of red liquid was clearly much more concentrated.

"It appears that the rock pool cannot hold the liquid indefinitely." Lin Dong contemplated. If not, after all these years, the rock pool should be completely saturated with that red liquid. And should not show signs of dissipating after he had used it for a mere ten days.

"It seems that I will have top it up myself on my next visit."

Lin Dong caressed the little bottle, a little unwilling to part with it. This liquid was extremely rare and valuable, it took a whole five days before he could obtain just a tiny drop. He had also hoped to find a chance to secretly feed a drop of this liquid to Lin Xiao. Since the liquid held miraculous effects, he believed that it would be a great help in treating Lin Xiao's injuries.

Lin Dong softly sighed as he kept the bottle. Putting on his clothes, he slipped out of the cave and returned to his training spot. Yet, just as he was about once again start his training, a figure suddenly rushed over from a distance away while shouting: "Lin Dong, bad news!"

"Lin Changqiang, what has happened?"

Casually muttering those words, Lin Dong cast a glance towards the figure before he lowered his head and then proceeded to resolutely lift two solid stone blocks.

The incoming person looked to be a 13 or 14 year old youth. He was a little plump, and his figure was round like a ball. The youngster's name was Lin Changqiang, and he was the son of Lin Dong's fifth uncle. The two of them were on pretty good terms, though Lin Dong knew that this guy had only befriended him because he actually fancied Qing Tan. Nonetheless, Lin Dong still had a decent impression of Lin Changqiang.

"Something has happened to Qing Tan." Lin Changqiang huffed as he struggled to catch his breath.

"Thud!"

The rock blocks in Lin Dong hands fell to the ground with a thud, causing dust to scatter about. With a stern expression on his face, he questioned: "How?"

Lin Dong was very protective of his little sister. She was a very sensible girl and even though she was young, she did not display the haughtiness usually seen by girls around her age. As such, within their house, even their usually strict father could not bear to be angry at her. Therefore, even though she had no blood relations with them, Qing Tan was undoubtedly princess in the family.

"Blast it, it must be that bastard Lin Shan!"

Lin Changqiang swore: "Today, Qing Tan found a stalk of Chiyang Grass (TN: an elixir) in the woods behind the mountain. However, she was spotted by Lin Shan and his gang, and now they are refusing to let Qing Tan go."

"Lin Shan again!"

Upon hearing this news, a raging anger flared in Lin Dong's eyes. He knew that Qing Tan had been going off to the woods in order to find some elixirs to aid his training. In the past, she had done so before. However, after a previously incident where she nearly injured herself while venturing for elixirs, their father had forbid her from doing so again. Nonetheless, after a peaceful period with no incidents, she had now sneaked out again.

"Take me there." Lin Dong commanded as he dusted off the dust on his palms.

"Eh? Just you alone? Why not bring third uncle along?"

Seeing that Lin Dong wanted to leave by himself, Lin Changqiang quickly tried to stop him. He knew that Lin Dong had been beaten unconscious by Lin Shan previously. Hence, he was afraid that this time was going to be a repeat thrashing of Lin Dong. Even though he disliked Lin Shan, he had to admit that he was a tough fellow.

"Stop dallying. If we are late, Qing Tan will definitely be bullied and I will make sure you never play with her again." Lin Dong frowned, the third uncle mentioned by Lin Changqiang was his father Lin Xiao. However an adult intervening in matters of the younger generations will at worst result in a harsh dressing down and this was not enough to quench the anger in Lin Dong's heart.

"Alright, you win. Follow me. Later, when Lin Shan attacks, let me help to block some of the hits. After all, I am at Tempered Body 3rd Layer so I can definitely take some blows."

Lin Changqiang scratched his head, slightly taken aback by Lin Dong's threat. He then proceeded to lead Lin Dong to his sister.

As he watched Lin Changqiang's round body, Lin Dong involuntarily let out a laugh. However, in the next moment, his facial expression turned darker. Gritting his lips, he swore: " Lin Shan, this time I am going to beat you like the dog you are!"


	8. Clash

WDQK Chapter 8: Clash

There was a relatively vast forest in the mountains at the back of the Lin Family district. If one were lucky, one could occasionally be able to find one an elixir or two in that forest. Thus, whenever they had some time, the younger generation of the Lin Family would always come by to try their luck. As such, one could probably say that the forest was a rather popular place among the Lin Family.

At this time, there was quite a crowd at the entrance of the forest. These people were all young teenagers, clearly the younger generation of the Lin Family.

Past the human wall, a group of sturdy figures towered at the centre of the road, just happening to block off the pathway. Behind these figures was a young girl in a light colored attire.

The girl's features were like a painting and her skin was white as the freshly fallen snow. Though she was still young, her beauty was already causing many to be breathless and stunned at the sight. And at this moment, her eyes, which were normally full of life, were now angrily staring at the figures in front of her. Her tiny dirt covered hand tightly grabbed a fire-red plant which was emitting a faint fragrance.

"Lin Shan, don't be too overbearing!"

Qing Tan glared at the one particular figure at the head of the crowd, traces of anger in her normally lively voice.

"Heh heh, we had already discovered this Scarlet Sun Grass yesterday, it's just that we waited till today to retrieve it. Yet you've taken what was ours, how can you still say I'm the overbearing one?" The figure at the front turned out to be a youngster who looked to be about 14 or 15 years of age. At this point, he was grinning with his arms crossed while gazing at the angry Qing Tan.

"That's nonsense!"

Hearing Lin Shan trying to twist the facts, Qing Tan's tiny face reddened in anger. She had spent a lot of effort to find this Scarlet Sun Grass, how could that scoundrel have found it first? And if he really did find it first like he said, how could he have possibly left it there? Could it be that he was deliberately waiting someone else to pick it?

"I'm not speaking nonsense…"

Lin Shan gazed at Qing Tan who looked adorable even when angry. Nevertheless he was all smiles as he said: "Qing Tan, give me the Scarlet Sun Grass and I will let you go."

"Don't even think of it!"

Qing Tan grinded her teeth. Over this period of time, she had seen how Lin Dong had so painstakingly trained, as if his life was on the line. She also understood that if Lin Dong does not perform well in the upcoming Clan competition, not only he, but his parents as well, will suffer a tremendous blow.

Thus, during this period, she had always come here in hopes of finding even just one elixir such that she could help Lin Dong increase his training pace. And having finally found one stalk of Scarlet Sun Grass today after much difficulty, how could she possibly hand it over to that horrible scoundrel!

"Since it's like that, looks like you can only spend the night in this place." Lin Shan chuckled, glancing towards Qing Tan before continuing: "Just now, that brat Lin Changqiang seemed to run away, he should have went to find Lin Dong right? Good, I'm still not satisfied from that last beating I gave him."

At these words, Qing Tan's tiny face changed. She knew that Lin Dong and Lin Shan usually never saw eye to eye and they would be itching to fight every time they met. However, every time they fought, Lin Dong always ended up on the short end of the stick.

"Give the Scarlet Sun Grass to me and I will not beat him, how does that sound?" Seeing Qing Tan's tiny face change, Lin Shan laughed heartily, pleased at himself.

"You scoundrel!"

Qing Tan bit her lip, her eyes already somewhat red. At this look, many would feel somewhat sorry for her. Although Qing Tan was not a part of the Lin Family, but because she was already so beautiful and such a lively young girl, don't even bother mentioning the Lin Family, she held the adoration of many many youngsters. even in the entire QingShan Town.

Yet, though many in the crowd were sorry for her and felt unsatisfied at this turn of events, after some consideration, they decided not to step in or say anything. Lin Shan was a little tyrant among the younger generation of the Lin Family. Not only did he have a substantial amount of strength, but his father was also the one in charge of the Lin Family's finances. Thus no one was willing to offend him, and even if they did go and report him to the older generation, Lin Shan would at most be locked up for only one or two days. Plus, after getting out, he would definitely retaliate against the one who reported him. Therefore, among the younger generation, there were very few incidences of anyone coming into conflict with him.

"Won't you hand it over? If you don't hurry up, I'm afraid Lin Dong will arrive at any moment…" Lin Shan taunted while deliberately acting as if he were surveying the surroundings, as if he was looking forward to Lin Dong's arrival.

"Take it!"

Tears of grievance welled up in Qing Tan's eyes, yet she stubbornly endured. Tightly gripping the Scarlet Sun Grass in her hands one last time, she gritted her teeth before fiercely throwing it towards Lin Shan.

"Heh heh, good girl."

In response, Lin Shan gleefully stepped forward to catch the Scarlet Sun Grass which had been flung his way. However, just as he was about to snatch the Scarlet Sun Grass out of the air, a figure suddenly broke through the crowd and heavily smashed into his body. The tremendous force straightaway caused him to roll two rounds on the ground before finally coming to a halt.

This sudden turn of events caused everyone to be shocked. Their gazes hastily turned to look at who had come before turning to ones of sympathy.

"Bastard!"

Lin Shan crawled up from the ground, not caring about the dirt all over his body, he stared at the figure who was now standing at the spot he had occupied before. A malicious intent suddenly rose up in his eyes as he sneered: "Lin Dong? Good, looks like you've grown some balls in the few days that we've not seen each other. I guess I might have let you off too lightly the last time and you've yet to learn your lesson."

"Lin Shan, I've already given you the Scarlet Sun Grass, what else do you want?" Qing Tan said in anger as her tiny face changed upon seeing Lin Shan's malicious look. She quickly picked up the Scarlet Sun Grass that had fallen to the ground and threw it over to Lin Shan.

"I will take the elixir and also beat him today!" Lin Shan caught the Scarlet Sun Grass, sneering.

"You!" Qing Tan's tiny face grew hot with anger at these words. Her small hands formed into fists, even in her wildest dreams she had never imagined that Lin Shan would be such a scoundrel.

Lin Dong also could not help but sneer at Lin Shan's rude and unreasonable conduct. Soon after, he pulled Qing Tan to one side and returned Lin Shan's words: "I will take the elixir and beat you today!"

"Haha!"

At Lin Dong's words, Lin Shan was clearly stunned though he quickly regained his wits and laughed out loud. With a mocking gaze, he looked at the former and said: "Looks like I might have hit your head a little too hard previously?"

The rest of the crowd also looked towards Lin Dong, baffled. Though it was good to be strong-willed, if one oversteps his boundaries, one would be asking for punishment. The two had fought many times before, but every single time it always ended up in Lin Dong being beaten black and blue.

"Lin Dong-ge, don't fight with him, we don't need that Scarlet Sun Grass." Seeing that Lin Dong wanted to clash against Lin Shan yet again, Qing Tan quickly pulled him back, a trace of worry in her voice.

"Yeah, Lin Dong, a true man knows better than to fight when the odds are stacked against him. Go back and train for a while longer before you come back and teach this bastard a lesson." Lin Changqiang who had followed closely behind Lin Dong promptly opened his mouth to advise the latter.

"Want to leave? It's not that easy!"

Lin Shan sneered, in the next instant his figure dashed forward. In a few steps, he appeared before Lin Dong, his five fingers quickly gripping into a fist which flew towards the latter's chest as it faintly emitted the sound of rushing wind.

"Pa!"

Lin Dong gazed at Lin Shan's fully powered fist, the corners of his mouth turning upwards into a sneer. Yet he did not duck nor dodge, instead his palm reached out and smashed into Lin Shan's fist, causing the crowd's gazes to turn to that of astonishment.

As fist met palm, a loud noise like that of rocks smashing together sounded out. However, what amazed the crowd was the fact that Lin Dong had actually managed to receive Lin Shan's punch!

"Tempered Body 4th Layer?!"

After that exchange, Lin Shan could sense that something was not right, his opponent's skin felt as though it was at least as hard as his!

Such a tough skin clearly belonged to someone who had reached the Tempered Body 4th Layer!

"How is this possible? This brat was only at the 2nd Layer half a month ago, how could he have suddenly rose to the 4th Layer?!" Lin Shan could not believe it, yet he clenched his jaw, even if you have reached the Tempered Body 4th Layer, don't even think of fighting with me!

"Falling Rock Fist!"

Lin Shan withdrew his fist and suddenly let out a shout. On his arm, blue veins started to pop out, quickly extending all over his arm. Soon after, multiple images of fists appeared, like rocks, they smashed ferociously towards Lin Dong's head. That kind of power was akin to the rocks flying out from an explosion.

"Lower Category Level 1 Martial Arts, Falling Rock Fist? To think that Lin Shan has also started learning Martial Arts, Lin Dong is really unlucky." The crowd was in an uproar after seeing Lin Dong's current situation.

Lin Dong's gaze fixed itself on the multiple incoming fist images. Although Lin Shan's Falling Rock Fist was not weak, he wondered why it appeared so full of flaws and mistakes in his eyes. Without hesitation, Lin Dong straightaway executed Penetrating Fist.

"Pa! Pa! Pa!"

The sleeves of his clothes slapped against his arm, causing a crisp and loud sound to echo out. At the same time, Lin Dong's fist collided against Lin Shan's fist images.

"Thump!"

Just as their fists touched together, Lin Shan's body shuddered as a huge force rapidly rushed forth from his fist. After which, to his shock and amazement, waves of pain transmitted from both his rock hard fists.

"Penetrating Fist, three echoes? How is this possible?!"

At this very moment, Lin Shan's eyes were thick with shock. Naturally, he had heard of Penetrating Fist, it was very well known among the Level 1 Martial Arts. He had originally planned on learning this Fist Technique, yet he was still unable to produce an echo even after ten days of training. Thus he had no option but to give up. Who could imagine that Lin Dong who was previously never a match for him would actually be capable of such success?!"

"It's not three echoes, its four!"

Lin Dong icily smiled, his arm jerked as another crisp sound echoed out. Following which, an increasingly heavy punch struck against both of Lin Shan's fists.

"Thud!"

Faced with a four echo Penetrating Fist, Lin Shan's Falling Rock Fist stance fell apart. Step by step, he staggered backwards before finally falling, to the amazement of the crowd of onlookers.

Yet, just as Lin Shan was about to fall, an arm suddenly reached out to grab his shoulder. With a gentle push, Lin Shan was stabilized.

"Ge!"

Lin Shan quickly turned his head to gaze at the figure who had appeared at his back, suddenly extremely happy. The surrounding crowd's expressions also changed as fear flashed across their eyes.


End file.
